Reformation, Not Revival

by: MS Quixote - November 2nd, 2009   Filed under: Discussion 7 Comments

As Randy Brandt would say, “here’s a rant.”

In light of my non-post on Reformation Day last Saturday, I offer the following: the church is in need of reformation, not revival.

Revival benefits a doctrinally sound church whose adherents are obedient, by adding numbers that may be trained into disciples. In doctrinally sound churches whose members have become slothful or have shipwrecked their faith, revival may be successful in exhorting and edifying existing Christians within the church to action, as in Rev 3:20. However, is revival beneficial for a doctrinally unsound church or a church with aberrant practices? What, after all, would be the purpose of reviving doctrinally unsound churches? Can there be a good purpose to revive doctrinally unsound churches?

It seems to me this would only encourage and excite bad belief and bad practice.

I saw a sign outside a church today on the way to pick up the lad from school. No, the sign was not on the way to pick up the lad; I was. Nevertheless, the church’s marquis featured the following in big letters: We are the only hands God has.

Call me theologically pedantic, but the message was all wrong.

Granted, it may have simply been intended as a call to action in this dark world. It may have simply been intended to urge Christians to help those in need. No argument there, but why not just say Christians, help those in need. Why not quote instead Matthew 25:40?

Or, perhaps, the message was intended to convey the truth that God is non-corporeal in nature. If so, it’s difficult to see how we as God’s hands would be included in the message. It would simply say: God is a spirit without a body, or something similar.

What I suspect, though, was something more significant. My best estimate is that the sign represents a common thought within modern Christianity whereby God does not act apart from the will of His saints. Reborn man has dominion over the earth, and through the force of faith, determines what God does and does not do. Why on earth, or in heaven, would we or God want to revive this message, or the church that proclaims it? What is required is reformation.

Sometimes the thought is disseminated this way: God rules the world through the prayers of his saints. Other times this is said: God would never override the free will of his creatures. Still other times the thought comes through as The Prince of the power of the air rules this world or God will not do this that or the other unless you speak it into existence.

Some of these are worse than others–some are downright occultic–but they all fall woefully short of sound biblical teaching. What they all have in common is a misconstrual of God’s sovereignty, and thus His nature. Why would we seek to revive them?

Again, what the church needs, the American church at least, is reformation. Speaking of hands, how about Deuteronomy 32:39-42:

See now that I myself am He! There is no god beside me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.

I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me.

I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders.

If we’re God’s only hands, who’s gonna volunteer for this assignment? Who’s gonna grasp the sword of judgment, or draw back the bow and make the arrows drunk with blood? God forbid, someone out there would probably raise their hand, but I think most of us get the point. And certainly, who of the hands among us will raise their hand and say: I lift my hand to heaven and declare: As surely as I live forever…

God forgive us. I know that God does not have hands. I also know He does not need them; He spoke the heavens and the earth into existence without them. I also know that we are called to represent Him on this earth. But it’s as representatives, not His causal agents. We are the new priesthood; we represent him and our high priest Jesus, albeit imperfectly, and representatives always serve a master, and their master’s will.

Yes, I know God does not have hands: God is spirit according to John 4:24, and elsewhere. But what else does John 4 say?

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth.

Perhaps they had the best intentions, but God wants spirit and truth. Where there is a lack of truth there will not be revival, but reformation, even if through judgment. Once reformation’s done, revival may not be far behind.

Revelation 3:20 & the Top Ten List of Most Frequently Misinterpreted Bible Verses

by: MS Quixote - October 25th, 2009   Filed under: Discussion, Proper Biblical Interpretation 8 Comments

The following is one of Shema’s entries for the top ten list of most misinterpreted Bible verses/passages. I think it’s a good one. Note: the list is a work in progress: no decisions have been made, nor any votes cast.

Interpretational error category: context

Here’s how things go awry. First, take a loook at this well loved, and oft-quoted verse extracted from its context: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20

Pretty straightforward, right? This is an evangelist’s staple whereby Christ is knocking at the world’s door and inviting everyone and anyone to eat with him, correct?  What else could anyone mean?

Before proceeding, I’d like to offer a clarification, if you don’t mind. I believe that without qualification the statement If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me is unreservedly true. Whosoever believes in Christ, whosoever hears his voice and opens the door, will eat with Christ and be saved.

However, that’s a truth gathered from other portions of Scripture, not this one. Take a second look at the verse, this time surrounded by its immediate context:

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:
These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Rev 3:14-22

Our contextual cues here seem fairly apparent. This passage is addressed to the angel of the church of Laodicea. The Greek word translated angel is ἀγγέλῳ, which means messenger, and has been interpreted various ways, none of which are important to the question at hand. What is important, though, is the connection to chapter one of Revelation:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone “like a son of man,” dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

“Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later. The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. Rev 1:12-20

It’s clear that the apostle John is addressing our passage to the messenger of the church of Laodicea, who is clearly in the hand of Christ according to the text, not flung out to the nether regions of the earth, or positionally outside of the kingdom. The remaining contextual cues from chapter one leave no doubt that the book of Revelation in its entirety is written to the seven churches, those that existed historically at that time:

On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”  Rev 1:10-11

John,
      To the seven churches in the province of Asia:  Rev 1:4

This much should be reasonably non-controversial. Nevertheless, notice what follows Rev 1:4:

Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Rev1:4b-6

Now, when you write a letter, don’t you customarily begin with Dear Mrs. Smith or To whom it may concern? More than likely, I’d guess. The intent is to let the reader know first and foremost for whom the letter is intended. Thankfully, the biblical writers practiced the same protocol when writing. Check out the greetings and salutations of the New Testament epistles; they’re a key to proper biblical interpretation. Revelation is no different in this regard in that Revelation is written to the seven churches and to those in them that Christ loves, who have been freed from sins by his blood, and made to be a kingdom and priests to serve God his Father.

With that in mind, let’s look back at chapter three. Christ says to the church at Laodicea through its messenger “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.” Who is it that Christ loves, rebukes, and disciplines? Those who have been freed from sins by his blood, and made to be a kingdom and priests to serve God his Father, no doubt.  It’s the Christians in Laodicea who he describes in the following manner:

I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Notice the contrast: I am about to spit you out of my mouth yet Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. Certainly, those who are in Christ’s mouth, metaphorically, are those he holds; those he has saved and loves. What a beautiful verse of the preserving promise and power of Christ through his Holy Spirit we have here. What great comfort we have in knowing that Christ stands at the door of our hearts knocking, because he loves us, and intends to rebuke and discipline us, we Christians, when we are lukewarm. What assurance there is in a faithful savior.

He is among the golden lampstands, after all, and he does hold the keys of death and Hades. And we also know that his Father is greater than all, and none can snatch out from his hand. He stands at the door of your heart, Christian, and knocks, always remembering that he now has the resurrected ability to pass through locked doors when necessary. There are other passages to offer to the world than this one; this promise is for you. It’s time to open up and overcome.

He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches…

Marcher Lord Press Release

by: Marc Schooley - October 18th, 2009   Filed under: Discussion 8 Comments

There are interesting and exciting new things going on over at Marcher Lord Press. Here’s the latest press release:

October 18, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Marcher Lord Press Announces Marcher Lord Select

(Colorado Springs, CO)–Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Christian speculative fiction, today announces the debut of a revolution in fiction acquisitions.

“Marcher Lord Select is American Idol meets book acquisitions,” says publisher Jeff Gerke. “We’re presenting upwards of 40 completed manuscripts and letting ‘the people’ decide which one should be published.”

The contest will proceed in phases, Gerke explains, in each subsequent round of which the voters will receive larger glimpses of the competing manuscripts.

The first phase will consist of no more than the book’s title, genre, length, a 20-word premise, and a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb. Voters will cut the entries from 40 to 20 based on these items alone.

“We want to show authors that getting published involves more than simply writing a great novel,” Gerke says. “There are marketing skills to be developed–and you’ve got to hook the reader with a good premise.”

Following rounds will provide voters with a 1-page synopsis, the first 500 words of the book, the first 30 pages of the book, and, in the final round, the first 60 pages of the book.

The manuscript receiving the most votes in the final round will be published by Marcher Lord Press in its Spring 2010 release list.

No portion of any contestant’s mss. will be posted online, as MLP works to preserve the non-publication status of all contestants and entries.

Participating entrants have been contacted personally by Marcher Lord Press and are included in Marcher Lord Select by invitation only.

“We’re also running a secondary contest,” Gerke says. “The ‘premise contest’ is for those authors who have completed a Christian speculative fiction manuscript that fits within MLP guidelines and who have submitted their proposals to me through the Marcher Lord Press acquisitions portal before October 29, 2009.”

The premise contest will allow voters to select the books that sound the best based on a 20-word premise, a 100-word back cover copy teaser blurb, and (possibly) the first 500 words of the book.

The premise contest entrants receiving the top three vote totals will receive priority acquisitions reading by MLP publisher Jeff Gerke.

“It’s a way for virtually everyone to play, even those folks who didn’t receive an invitation to compete in the primary Marcher Lord Select contest.”

Marcher Lord Select officially begins on November 1, 2009, and runs until completion in January or February 2010. All voting and discussions and Marcher Lord Select activities will take place at The Anomaly forums in the Marcher Lord Select subforum. Free registration is required.

“In order for this to work as we’re envisioning,” Gerke says, “we need lots and lots of voters. So even if you’re not a fan of Christian science fiction or fantasy, I’m sure you love letting your voice be heard about what constitutes good Christian fiction. So come on out and join the fun!”

Marcher Lord Press is a Colorado Springs-based independent publisher producing Christian speculative fiction exclusively. MLP was launched in fall of 2008 and is privately owned. Contact: Jeff Gerke; www.marcherlordpress.com.